Textbooks in America are expensive. I had tried looking for the International Edition to no avail.

In any case, here it is!

I will conquer you Math! Hopefully living with a math genius will inspire me to be great at it.

Actually you know what, I’m just going to work hard and get an A.

I know you must be thinking that he can ‘tutor’ me, but the fact is: I think the Math I’m taking, is too easy for him. I once asked him about imaginary numbers and had to endure an hour’s long lecture on said topic. Coming from a guy who loves calculus, loves complicated equations and spent years writing a thesis that 80% of normal human beings will not comprehend. I look at his interests and I look at mine; and sometimes I wonder how we even started dating!!!

The sad part about the imaginary numbers? It went into one ear and went out of the other.

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If you want to learn more about imaginary numbers. Here’s the Link. Enjoy. 🙂

When I first moved here, I met one of Kris’s friend who never failed to ask me, “So how Charlene, isn’t New York City the greatest ever.” Back then, I didn’t feel like it was the greatest city at all. I had just moved away from my family and friends, I left a stable job, I knew zero people in this city and Kris was at work all day. I didn’t know what to do with all this free time, I felt really lonely inside, and everything felt uncomfortably foreign. I couldn’t give him the answer he wanted and I didn’t want to lie either, so I just smiled and shrugged.

Circa Summer 2014 and now Manhattan feels like home. Our apartment – a sanctuary that we both have built together with love and the growing bonds of our marriage. I felt this very strongly during a recent visit to Singapore, the past couple of times I left the country (Singapore) I would be sad and felt this deep sinking feeling in my heart and throat. This time, I found myself excited to go back to NYC, excited to start school and excited to be home. A home — where I have been painstakingly caring for, rearranging, decorating and filling with little stuff that meant something to us, a welcoming respite from the urban jungle in which we lived in. Don’t get me wrong, I still miss family, friends and truly enjoyed spending time in Singapore but I also feel that now I have a family/home in New York. I have found my way in this seemingly unfriendly and cut throat city, carved out a space that belonged to me and rekindled a ‘relationship’ with myself. Emotionally I am so much stronger and happier now; far more comfortable than I have been in a long time. I feel confident of my abilities to be alone, to thrive in a new city. I like making new friends, but I’m also very happy to be eating, reading, exercising or even partaking in any activity that traditionally involved more people -by myself and truly enjoying the solitude. The comfort of my new found independence is truly liberating.

I’m hoping that the new direction (grad school) I’m taking in my life will challenge me enough to grow into a better person. More importantly, I hope to find a vocation that allows me a deeper sense of purpose, something that allows me to make my surroundings and the people I interact with happier. My goal is to make education an accessible privilege to all and for it to better bridge socio-economic divides. I’m not sure what or how I’m going to do it, but I’m going to try to get there.

In short, I am proud to say that I have *ahem” crossed over that uneasy (and necessary, if I may) transitional bridge of international migration and look forward to more exciting adventures here and everywhere my our heart desires. (I have a partner in crime now, so I can’t leave him behind :P)

– Bad things happen, good things happen. No matter how much you kick and scream, there are some things that are beyond your human control and to survive the challenges in life, you will just have to let go. Eventually it will pass.

2. Your Family matters

– Nobody else will mean as much.

3. Nurture and take time to maintain friendships

– Friends especially those from high school and college will always be extra special. At that age, you judge a lot less, are often way less cynical and get to bond with people with the same interests. As you age, you will bond with people of the same occupation but not necessarily same interests/belief systems

4. Its what inside that counts

– In a world where we judge people constantly by how they look and present themselves, remember that its what inside that counts. People can change how they look on the outside, through plastic surgery, through nice/expensive clothing but at the end of the day they can never change their purity of heart.

5. Follow your bliss.

– Do the things you love. Don’t follow money/society norms/pressure from family. I wish more people had taught me this when I was young, to follow my passion in life. Do things that you personally deem meaningful and worthwhile. It took me a while before I found that in education, but perhaps for good reason.

6. Forgive

– Learn to forgive the people who hurt you, very often the people who hurt you never intended to make it personal. Everyone’s so caught up in their own lives that sometimes, they forget that your feelings matter too. Its okay for them to be selfish sometimes. After all, you’re not perfect either.

7. In a marriage, cover your mouth and open your ears.

– Self explanatory really, but basically listen more to the needs of your spouse and not just blabber on and on about ME, MYSELF and I. A healthy marriage involves the two of you, it is not just a solo performance.

8. Money should be an enabler, not a driver.

– Remember that we need money to do the things we love and buy the things we need. In our quest through life, never betray yourself for money. There is no end to wanting more.

9. Happiness is about contentment

– The richest, prettiest, most popular people aren’t the ones who are happiest, because happiness is not about what you have or what others perceive you to be. Happiness is a choice and state of mind, you choose to be happy, despite all the other imperfections in your life. The importance of showing gratitude instead of demanding more and more (from both others and yourself) is crucial to lasting happiness.

10. Love yourself through it all.

– We live through life wanting to be loved by others, but at the end of the day what matters is that you love yourself. Not love yourself selfishly, but love yourself enough to know that you’re very human and will make mistakes. No matter what happens in your life, what mistakes you made and what goals you failed to achieve, you will always be special and loved! If you don’t love yourself, how do you expect another person to love you? Oh love yourself enough to take time to exercise and eat healthy too!